A Penny for your Thoughts
by thesweeper1957
Summary: This is a story about an unsung hero. If you liked this story, please read "Reunion", it takes up where this story leaves off.


A Penny for Your Thoughts

My dog and I stepped out of a taxi, walked up a short pathway and knocked on the door of a house in a quiet neighborhood in Metro City.

A man wearing a trench coat and hat opened the door and looked down at us with a quizzical expression on his face.

"Uncle Gadget!" I said, cheerfully. "I'm here! Are you happy to see me?"

"Who are you?" he said, cocking his head to the side.

I giggled. "You're such a kidder, Uncle Gadget."

"I'm not kidding, little girl." he snapped. "Who are you?"

Startled, I took a step back and almost tripped over my dog. "I-I-I'm your niece, P-Penny."

The man scratched his head. "I don't remember having a niece."

"I'm your b-brother's daughter."

"I don't remember having a brother."

"Y-you don't remember me?"

He shook his head and said. "No."

"You really don't remember me?"

"That's what I said."

"You really, really, don't remember me?"

"How many times do I have to repeat myself?"

I covered my face with my hands and bawled. "What do I do? What do I do? What do I do?"

"Wait, wait, wait little girl." he said, desperately waving his hands around in the air. "Don't cry, please don't cry."

"I-I have this p-picture of us together." I whimpered, taking a photograph out of my backpack and handing it to him. "That's you and m-me and d-daddy last year."

He studied the picture while I blew my nose on a tissue.

"I do see a family resemblance." he said, handing the picture back to me. "Why are you here?"

"I-I've come to stay with you."

"Stay with me?"

"D-didn't you get my l-letter?"

"Letter? What letter? I don't remember any letter."

"I s-sent you a letter t-telling you I was coming to s-stay with you."

"You did? That's strange." He crossed his arms and scratched his chin. "But… why would you want to stay with me? I'm sure there must be better places for you to stay."

"I-I-I have nowhere else to go."

"What do you mean?"

"D-don't you remember? D-daddy died in a c-car accident. You're the only f-family I've got left."

"My brother died?" he said, scratching his head. "I didn't know that. Was I at the funeral?"

"N-no, Uncle Gadget, y-you were in the hospital."

He crossed his arms, looked up at the sky, tapped his chin and appeared to be lost in thought.

I grabbed another tissue out of my backpack and wiped my face as I waited for him to come back to earth.

"Oh…" he said, looking down at me as if he just remembered I was there, "well, okay, come inside little girl."

"Can my dog come in too?"

My dog peeked around from behind me and said. "Ruff."

A long pole like thing with small levered sections and a hand on the end extended out of the man's hat and scratched the dog behind the ears.

I was shocked and surprised. They told me about the gadgets but to see them first hand was, well, amazing.

"This is your dog?" said the man, still scratching the dog's head.

"Yes." I said. "His name is Brain."

"He has to stay in the garage."

The man picked up my suitcase from off of the porch and walked inside the house with the pole like thing recoiling back into his hat. I turned around and patted Brain on the head. "Go to the garage, Brain." I said. "I'll bring you some food as soon as I can." Brain gave me a hurt look and walked off muttering to the garage. I followed the man into the house.

The man led me into a bedroom and set the suitcase down on the floor.

"Heh heh, when I got home from the hospital, heh heh, I found this room decorated for a little girl and I had no idea why." He shrugged and smiled a sheepish smile. "Now I know, heh heh."

I looked around the room and thought. "Gosh, who did the agency send to do this? Pink and frills everywhere, stuffed animals all over the place, even dolls and a dollhouse. I'll definitely have to redecorate."

I turned around and looked up at his face. "Are you sure you don't remember me, Uncle Gadget?"

He sighed and shook his head. "I've forgotten some things since my accident."

"I'm sorry, Uncle Gadget."

"Don't worry about it. Um… what did you say your name was?"

"Penny."

"Okay, Penny, go ahead and unpack while make some dinner."

He turned around and left the room.

"Thank you, Uncle Gadget."

The hand in his hat popped out and waved as he walked away.

I pulled my computer book out of my backpack and sent a message to the agency. "I'm in." I wrote, in code. I then opened my suitcase and began to make myself at home.

Let me take you back to a meeting with the head of the agency a few months before I met Uncle Gadget.

My boss (an elderly bald man with a neatly trimmed mustache and goatee) was sitting at his desk writing something in a notebook when I walked into his office.

I stood beside his desk and waited for him to address me.

"Have a seat, Miss. Jones." he said, motioning toward a chair.

"Yes sir." I said, climbing into the chair and sitting up strait.

"Miss. Jones, we have a mission for you."

I was all ears.

"You will be posing as a 10 year old girl."

I sagged.

"I see." I said, disappointed. "It's because of how I look, isn't it?"

"Yes, yes, primarily, but don't jump to conclusions. This is a vitally important mission."

"Yes sir."

I sat up strait again and tried to control my emotions.

My feet didn't reach the floor and I caught myself nervously swinging my legs back and forth under the chair. I felt a little embarrassed and hoped my boss hadn't noticed. I was trying to be dignified after all.

He opened a folder on his desk and pulled out and showed me a photograph of a man wearing a trench coat and hat. "Your mission is to make this man into a super detective." He pointed at the man and tapped the photograph.

"I beg your pardon, sir." I said, confused. "I'm not certified to be a trainer."

"We're not asking you to train him."

"No sir?"

"You will solve, or thwart, the crimes, or criminals, and he will get the credit."

"I see… sir." (I didn't really see.)

He held up another picture. "This is the notorious Dr. Claw, head of a criminal organization called M.A.D."

I examined the photograph and then looked at my boss with a raised eyebrow. "That just looks like a gauntlet, sir. Are you sure you have the right picture?"

He shrugged. "This is all we have."

"How will I catch him if I don't know what he looks like?"

"We're not asking you to catch him. We only want you to thwart his schemes and make sure Inspector Gadget gets the credit."

"Inspector Gadget?"

"The man in the trench coat and hat."

"Oh." (I was starting to get the idea.)

"You see," continued my boss, "Inspector Gadget recently had an accident and spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital having most of his body parts replaced with bionic parts. He is now virtually indestructible. All the gadgets he's had installed in his body makes him the perfect nemesis for Dr. Claw. There's only one problem."

"Sir?"

"He's as dumb as a post."

"Oh, I see… sir."

"You, on the other hand, are a highly intelligent and gifted agent."

"Thank you, sir."

"We want Dr. Claw to be focused on Inspector Gadget and not on you. You will thwart Dr. Claw's schemes and he will blame Inspector Gadget. Got it?"

"Yes sir. I understand, sir.

"You will be posing as Inspector Gadget's niece." said my boss. "What do you remember about being ten years old?"

"My memory is kind of hazy on that, sir." I said, not really wanting to remember. "That was eight years ago."

"No problem. You will undergo extensive training before you began the mission. Inspector Gadget is still recuperating. Do you have any questions?"

"I'm sure all my questions will be answered during training, sir." I leaped out of my chair and stood at attention. "Thank you for having confidence in me, sir."

"Sit down, Miss. Jones, there's more."

I climbed back into the chair.

He held up a picture of a dog.

I stared at the picture and asked. "Did you put a picture of your pet in there by mistake?"

"No, Miss. Jones." he said, trying not to laugh. "This is Brain. He will be your partner."

"My partner is a dog?"

"This is no ordinary dog. You will find him a very capable ally, indispensable really."

"Yes sir."

"During this mission, Miss. Jones, you will be assuming a new identity. From this moment on, you are Penny Gadget. You will have no contact with family and friends. Miss. Jones will cease to exist. Will this be a problem? If so, let me know now."

"No sir." I said, without hesitation. "It has been a dream of mine since I was small, um, I mean, smaller, to be a detective. To solve crimes and do my part to make this world a better place. Whatever I have to do I'm willing to do it. You can count on me, sir."

"Good." he said, with a smile and a nod of his head. "I believe you are the right agent for this job. Good luck and be careful."

I leaped out of my chair. "Goodbye, sir." I said, smartly. "I won't let you down."

He nodded and went back to his writing.

I turned around and left the room.

When I reached the age of ten, I stopped growing and, for that matter, aging. As I entered my teen years, the girls I knew were developing, um… things on their chests and so forth, but it wasn't happening to me. I was not overly concerned about the situation but my parents were. My mother took me to see many doctors and specialists. Everyone had a pill or a remedy but nothing worked. The only good thing to come out of all of it was my blossoming love for detective fiction. In one of the many waiting rooms my mother handed me a book about a young female detective. I was hooked. I found my calling. I determined, from that moment on, I would become a detective just like the girl in the book.

As you might well imagine, the road to becoming a detective was bumpy, to say the least, for a girl who, most likely, will always look ten, but I single-mindedly pursued my goal. I did have one thing going for me; I wasn't distracted by boys and other things that distracted girls my age. Some high school boys (when I was in high school) did ask me out now and then but they never asked a second time. Maybe they were teased by the other boys about dating a little girl or maybe it had something to do with my incessant chatter about detectives and crime, I don't know.

Throughout my teen years I studied, studied and studied some more. When I wasn't studying, I was reading detective fiction. I read everything I could get my hands on. When I wasn't reading fiction, I read about real life crime. I couldn't get enough of it.

My mother sat me down for a heart-to-heart talk about my obsession. It seems to me she made worry her life's work. I simply told her I was going to be a detective no matter what it took, that's all there was to it. She cried when I joined the agency. We both knew we might not ever see each other again. I didn't cry until later when I was alone.

One of the hardest things about my new mission was attending elementary school again. I found my classmates to be stupid, silly, petty, and, well, you get the picture. I really had to sell the idea that I was just another 10 year old girl. I watched what I said, giggled a bit, well, you know, more than I normally would, and purposely did less than perfect on tests. I amended my assessment of my classmates later on and made many friends at the school.

It wasn't hard to fool Uncle Gadget because he was mostly oblivious and didn't pay much attention to what I was doing anyway. He did expect me to come right home from school, do my homework, keep my room clean and be in bed by nine, but he never pried into my personal life. I bought razors, hair dye and other things young girls weren't supposed to need and smuggled them into the house in my backpack; being careful not to leave them out where he could find them, but he rarely came in my room and never went through my things. He kept me well fed, bought me clothes now and then and was kind to me. I became very fond of him. We lived a fairly normal Metro City lifestyle most of the time.

I know Uncle Gadget cared about me but he didn't respect me. I was just another little girl to him. As long as I stayed out of his way he was fine. Sometimes I would say something like, "Dr. Claw is behind this" or "I think those are M.A.D. agents". He would invariably say, "Nonsense, Penny, it's just your overactive imagination". That was okay, I guess, the plan was working, but I have real feelings too, you know?

For eight years, Uncle Gadget, Brain and I had many thrilling adventures. Uncle Gadget was considered a great detective and he believed it was true. He was the perfect decoy. I, along with Brain, solved many cases and we were rarely noticed (except for the many time Uncle Gadget mistook Brain for a M.A.D. agent). I was captured a few times and almost died now and then, but, for the most part, everything went well. I say I solved the cases, but, I have to admit, I couldn't have done it without Uncle Gadget. We traveled all over the world and saw many wonderful and fascinating places and things (even went back in time). I was living my dream and didn't want it to end.

When I turned 18, again, Uncle Gadget insisted I look into attending a University (he didn't seem to notice I still looked like a 10 year old). I had to play along, so I scheduled a trip to a University to speak to an administrator. When the day came, I hugged Uncle Gadget and Brain and said goodbye. I took a taxi to the airport and flew to another city. I then took a taxi from the airport to the University. When I arrived at the University I was escorted into a meeting room. My agency boss was sitting at a table.

"Come in." he said. "Come in and have a seat."

I was surprised to see him, to say the least (shook up really). I didn't know what to say so I didn't say anything. I just climbed into a chair on the other side of the table from where he was sitting and waited for him to speak.

He gave me a smile and said. "I hope you are well?"

"Y-yes sir." I managed to say.

"Miss. Jones, I'll get right to it (I wondered about the "Miss. Jones"), your mission has come to an end. When you leave here you will catch a flight to Japan. You…"

"What about Uncle Gadget?" I blurted out, my mouth jumping ahead of my brain.

"His niece has died," said my boss, matter-of-factly, "he will mourn and then he will move on with his life."

I broke down and sobbed.

Maybe it was the flight, maybe I was tired, maybe it was the unexpected news; the sudden ending of it all, I don't know, but I couldn't stop myself from crying. I would never see Uncle Gadget, Brain or any of my friends again. They would all think I was dead. My emotions were swirling. My insides were churning. In my head I was screaming, "This is so unfair!" but alas, in the end, I loved my job and didn't want to risk losing it.

"I'm sorry, sir." I said, recovering my senses. "That was totally unprofessional of me."

I grabbed some tissues out of my purse and wiped my eyes and blew my nose.

"On the contrary, Miss. Jones." he said, gently. "I would be more concerned about you if you didn't react that way. This business can be very harsh and cruel sometimes but we're still human."

"Yes sir."

"You won't start your new mission right away. You will have plenty of time to make the adjustment."

"What is my new mission?"

He put on some reading glasses and opened a folder on the table in front of him.

I leaned forward and tried to see what was in it.

"Your name is Molly Johnson." said my boss, reading off the paper in the folder. "You live with a family in Tokyo, Japan. You are a foreign exchange student." He looked up at me over his glasses. "You are already familiar with the Japanese language, are you not?"

"Yes sir." I said. "I speak several languages."

"You will be living with the family of someone you already know, a friend of yours."

"Atsuko?"

"That's right."

I was beginning to feel some excitement.

"You are also familiar with a certain Japanese crime boss."

"Waruda." I interjected.

"Exactly."

"Is there an Uncle Gadget over there too?"

"Well…" he said, chuckling, "there is a famous detective over there playing a similar role but… there's no one quite like Inspector Gadget."

I giggled. "You can say that again."

"That's it in a nutshell." he said. "Do you have any questions?"

"I have just one." I sighed. "Will I have to be in elementary school again?"

"Yes, Miss. Johnson, that is the perfect cover for you."

"I know." I gave him a weak smile (more like a grimace). "I'll do my best, sir."

"Miss. Johnson," he said, taking off his reading glasses, "all of us at the agency are very pleased with your work and we know you will continue to make us proud. Good luck and be careful."

"Thank you, sir."

He put the reading glasses back on and looked over some papers on the table in front of him while I nervously swung my legs back and forth under my chair. I wasn't sure if the meeting was over or not.

"Um…" I said, hesitantly, "I have another question, sir."

"What do you want to know?" he asked, without looking up.

"Is there any way my dog, Brain, could be reassigned to Japan?"

"No."

"Why?"

He looked up from his papers. "He would undoubtedly lead Inspector Gadget to you. We can't risk that."

"Why would he lead Uncle Gadget to me?"

"A man will search high and low for his dog, Miss. Johnson."

"But he's my dog." I thought, but didn't say.

"Any more questions, Miss Johnson?"

"No sir."

"There are two young ladies outside this room waiting to escort you to Japan." He smiled and nodded his head. "You may go."

I stood up, said "Goodbye, sir" and walked toward the exit.

"No." I thought, as I touched the handle of the door. "He's Penny Gadget's dog and Penny Gadget is dead."

Some tears fell from my eyes and ran down my cheeks.

I quickly wiped them away.

Two young ladies met me in the hallway and led me into a changing room. They dyed my hair black, put glasses on my nose and dressed me in a Japanese school uniform.

Two men came into the room, led me and my chaperones (the aforementioned two young ladies) to an awaiting car and drove us to the airport where we caught a plane to Japan.

A new life and new adventures were waiting.

I was sitting in a dark room tied to a chair and thought I heard the sound of a cat purring.

Suddenly, a bright light was shining on my face.

"Who are you?" said a man with a low gruff booming voice.

"M-m-molly J-johnson." I answered, nervously.

"Why are you here?"

"I-I-I was l-looking for a f-friend and I c-came in h-here by m-m-mistake."

"I don't believe you." snapped the man. "You were snooping around."

"N-no sir, I w-wasn't." I whimpered.

"SILENCE!" he yelled. "Only speak when I ask you a question!"

"Y-yes sir."

The light was blinding me. The ropes were cutting into my skin. My legs and feet were going numb hanging over the edge of the chair.

"I know that voice." I said, to myself. "It has to be Dr. Claw."

"Hmm, Molly Johnson," said the man, "this is a nice computer book. It looks expensive. Where did you get it?"

"An uncle g-gave it to me."

"Uncle Gadget?"

"N-no sir, Uncle Ch-charles."

"Hmm, you know, now that I think about it, Gadget has a niece who likes to snoop around. I think that is who you are. You're Gadget's niece, aren't you?"

"That's quite a leap." I thought, but said. "N-no sir, I've never heard of anybody like that."

"I don't believe you."

"It's t-true."

"SILENCE!"

"Y-yes sir."

The sound of a cat making contented cat sounds was the only noise I heard for several minutes, I mean, aside from my racing heart.

"So, Molly Johnson," said the man, eventually, "if you're supposed to be a Japanese schoolgirl, why are you speaking English?"

"I-I'm an exchange student."

"Exchange student? I see. So, where are you from?"

"K-kansas."

"Well, Molly Johnson, you know, you're not in Kansas anymore."

He let loose with a torrent of maniacal laughter.

I didn't think it was very funny.

"We need to teach this nosey little girl a lesson, don't we Madcat?" said the man, after he finished laughing (although he did continue to chuckle). "I'm going to keep you here, Molly Johnson. Enjoy your stay."

The light was shut off.

I heard heavy footsteps and more maniacal laughter fading away in the distance.

Someone grabbed me and threw me over their shoulder. I screamed and someone stuffed a rag in my mouth. I was carried to a room, untied and pushed in. Falling hard to the floor, I heard the door slam and a key turned in the lock.

The room was dark and small, almost as small as a typical closet. I felt around the room and there was nothing inside except for me. I found the doorknob and tried to open the door but it was locked just as I expected. I sat on the floor and pulled my knees up to my chest.

"Atsuko knows where I am," I thought, "but will she know to look for me in this room?"

I didn't have my computer book and watch. Dr. Claw took them from me.

"Why is Dr. Claw even here?" I asked myself. "This is Waruda's territory. Are they working together again?"

I sat and considered how I got into this predicament. Maybe I was getting too cocky and careless and making too many mistakes. I shouldn't have been taken so easily and speaking English to Dr. Claw was just plain stupid.

I stretched out on the hard floor and stared at the darkness. My mind wandered back to my time with Uncle Gadget and Brain. I was caught by M.A.D. agents now and then but Brain usually rescued me. "This is completely different." I said. "The M.A.D. agents always laughed and told me their plans when they locked me up. I was just a nosey little girl. I wasn't a threat. These guys didn't say anything. They didn't even laugh." I sighed. "If they start taking me seriously I'm probably finished as a detective."

Being locked in a room with no light or sound is a truly horrible experience for someone used to seeing and hearing. "It's almost like being in a grave," I said, "not that I would know for sure. I think I will go crazy if I have to stay in here too long, but, then again, maybe I'll starve to death before I go crazy. I'm not sure which would be worse. Well, now that I think about it, I suppose starving to death would be worse than going crazy." As you can see, I was beginning to have morbid thoughts.

My bladder was about to explode and I couldn't hold it any longer so I peed in one of the corners of the room. I felt ashamed and humiliated (and relieved, actually) but there was nothing else I could do. "Oh crumbs," I said, mortified, "I've never had to do that before." I spread the rag someone had stuffed in my mouth over the pee and tried to sop it up (being careful not to get pee on my hands).

Moving over to another corner (as far from the pee as possible) I sat down, pulled my legs up to my chest and rested my head on my knees.

"My time in Japan is probably over." I said, sadly. "I mean, if I ever get out of here. I'll probably be out of a job too."

I began to cry. It felt good to cry. I cried myself to sleep.

I awoke to the sound of a key in the lock and the door opening. I sat up and covered my eyes because the light from a flashlight was blinding me. A dog came bounding into the room and licked my face. I shut my eyes and hugged him. I knew that dog.

"You're right, Brain." said a familiar voice. "There is a little girl in here. Why would there be a little girl trapped in a place like this? It doesn't make sense."

My friend Atsuko came into the room, put her arms around me and said, in Japanese. "Are you okay, Molly?"

"I'm hungry, dirty and scared," I said, also in Japanese, "but otherwise okay. I'm so glad you found me."

"Me too."

"Let's get this young lady someplace safe." said the man I knew and loved but couldn't reveal myself to.

Atsuko helped me to my feet and we followed the man out of the building. She put some sunglasses on my face because I had been in the dark for so long. It also helped to hide who I was.

"I'll take her home now." said Atsuko, in English. "Thank you for your help, sir."

I said "Thank you" in Japanese and bowed.

"No need for thanks, young ladies." said the man. "Inspector Gadget is always on duty."

He turned around and walked away with his dog by his side.

Atsuko took my hand, led me to her car and drove me home.

Once again, I found myself tied to a chair in a dark room with a bright light shining in my eyes. This time I was caught while investigating suspicious activity at a warehouse in Paris, France.

"Well, well," said the low gruff booming voice of Dr. Claw, "if it isn't my old friend Gadget's niece."

"Who are you?" I said, speaking French. "Why did you kidnap me? Why am I tied to this chair?"

Dr. Claw laughed maniacally.

"Oh you're good." he said, switching to the French language. "I could almost believe you really are a little French schoolgirl. What are you calling yourself now? Penny? Molly? Jane? Janet?"

"My name is Sophie."

"Yes, of course it is. That's a nice hairstyle, by the way, much better than the pigtails."

"What are you talking about?" I said, angrily. "What do you want? What are you going to do to me?"

"What am I going to do? I'm going to eliminate you, of course."

"Eliminate? You mean kill me?"

"That's exactly what I mean."

"Why would you want to do that?"

"Because you've been a thorn in my side!" he roared.

"Are you crazy?!" I screamed. "Let me go!"

"For many years you had me fooled." said Dr. Claw, ignoring me. "I thought Gadget was my nemesis until it finally dawned on me who was really thwarting my plans. You know, Gadget wasn't the same after you allegedly died. I wondered why. Then my friend Waruta began having trouble in Japan. I went to investigate, and what did I find? I found you snooping around. So I locked you in a room and waited to see who would rescue you. What a surprise. Gadget came to the rescue."

"Why do you keep saying gadget?" I asked. "What is a gadget?"

"SILENCE!" he yelled. "Don't interrupt me when I'm talking. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"

"Really?" I thought, incredulously. "A criminal mastermind is lecturing me about manners?"

"I examined your computer book and watch and wondered: Why would a little schoolgirl have this kind of high tech equipment?"

"Crumbs, I wish I had them now."

"As I looked them over, I thought about all the times Gadget got in my way and it all became clear to me."

"He wants me to know how smart he is. How long did it take him to figure it out?"

"Did Gadget know what you were doing? Was he a willing dupe? You let that idiot have all the glory. Why would you do that? What did you have to gain by making him look good?"

I kept my mouth shut.

"I asked you a question, little girl!" he yelled. "Answer me!"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I yelled back.

"Are you still playing that game? Don't you realize it's over and I've won?"

"No, I mean, I really don't know what you're talking about."

"Maybe I can clear things up for you." he said. "After Gadget rescued you, you left Japan. Apparently you were so upset you had to go back to America. Boo hoo, how sad. "

I heard what sounded like a cat laughing and wondered. "Does Madcat understand French?"

"I didn't buy it." continued Dr. Claw. "I knew you would turn up somewhere. When my colleagues here in France began having problems with some so-called inspector, I knew you were here." His voice became menacing. "Now I have you little girl. You walked right into my trap. Prepare to die."

He laughed long and loud and hard (maniacally, of course).

Suddenly, the lights came on in the room and a familiar voice said. "Give up, Dr. Claw, the building is surrounded, your men have been captured and your vehicle has been disabled."

I looked up to see a large group of police officers surrounding a small man with a mask on his face dressed in armor from head to toe.

"What?!" yelled Dr. Claw (the man in the armor). "No, this can't be happening!" He began to scream. "You haven't won, little girl! You have nothing on me! I'll be out soon, and when I am, I'll hunt you down and kill you, I swear I will!"

I wanted to tell him that I had collected enough evidence to put him away for life, but I kept silent. I played the helpless waif until the end.

Dr. Claw continued to rant and rave as he was being dragged away. His metal boots made sparks on the floor. I didn't see Madcat anywhere.

My associate and schoolgirl friend Brigitte ran over to untie me.

"Good job, Sophie." she whispered. "Your plan worked."

"Shh," I said, quietly, "we'll talk about it later."

"What is this?" said Uncle Gadget, turning to look at us. "Another little girl kidnapped by Dr. Claw? I never realized he was such a deviant."

I wanted to run to him and tell him who I was, but I would have had to tell him I lied to him and used him and I just couldn't; so I began to cry.

Brain ran up to me and licked my face. I whispered in his ear. "Brain, please keep my secret."

Uncle Gadget walked over to where we were standing and asked. "Are you alright, little girl?"

"Sir," said Brigitte, "Sophie doesn't understand English."

"Oh, I see."

He leaned over and studied my face.

I kept my tear-filled eyes focused on the floor.

"You know something?" he said. "This little girl reminds me of my niece."

"Your niece?" said Brigitte.

"Yes, my niece, Penny." He stood up strait and a hand popped out of his hat and rubbed his chin. "She died in an auto accident a few years back." He choked up and his voice cracked. "I really miss that girl. The old house is so very lonely without her."

When I heard what he said I broke down and sobbed. I felt like such a heel. I thought I must be the most horrible person in the world.

"Are you sure she doesn't understand English?"

"Yes sir." said Brigitte. "I think I'd better take her home."

"Good idea. This is no place for little girls. Follow me."

Brigitte put an arm around me and we followed Uncle Gadget and Brain.

Chief Quimby met us outside the building.

"Good job, Gadget." he said, puffing on his pipe. "You finally nabbed Claw. You'll get a promotion for this."

"Thank you sir," said Uncle Gadget, "just doing my job."

"I don't know how you do it."

"I was just following a lead, sir."

"Of course." Chief Quimby pointed his pipe at me. "Is that the little girl Claw kidnapped?"

"Yes sir."

"Does she know why he kidnapped her?"

"She doesn't speak English, sir, and I don't think she's in any condition to talk right now."

"No, no, I can see that, perhaps later."

At that moment I was inconsolable. Dr. Claw had finally been captured but I couldn't enjoy the victory.

A large group of reporters put microphones in front of Uncle Gadget's face and bombarded him with questions.

"Now, now," he said, waving his hands about, "one at a time, one at a time."

Brigitte's father was waiting for us in the driver's seat of his car. Brigitte and I climbed into the back seat. I turned around and looked at Uncle Gadget through the rear window. The hand in his hat popped out and waved as we drove away.

I waved back.

After Dr. Claw was convicted I decided to retire. I didn't mind the detective work but attending school all those years in a row was wearing me out. My boss talked me into taking a leave of absence instead.

I went back to my parent's house and we had a very happy reunion. I couldn't tell them what I had been doing and it's just as well; you know how my mother worries.

I'm staying with my parents in their house. I have money and could live on my own but something about the normalcy of my parent's home is comforting and they say they like having me there. I redecorated my room and made it as grown up as possible (no pink at all). My mom and I are having a good time getting to know each other again. I laugh when people ask if I'm her granddaughter.

I'm dating a cute guy I met in my hometown. His friends tease him but he says he doesn't mind. We try to tell them that I am older than he is but they don't believe us. I like him and we have a fun together. I don't know where it's going to lead, but, we'll see. I haven't had much experience with romance so I'm taking it day to day.

I'm enjoying my down time but I'm still cautious. Dr. Claw is behind bars but M.A.D. is still going strong. I don't believe they know who or where I am but I'm keeping my eyes open. I wouldn't want anything to happen to me or the people I care about.

I read about Uncle Gadget in the newspaper now and then. He seems to be doing very well and that makes me happy. Sometimes I want to go see him and apologize but I know it would only hurt him and he would probably hate me.

I'm able to enter a haunted house or a spooky cave without batting an eye but I'm too scared to face Uncle Gadget with the truth. I've tried to justify, to myself, the things I've said and done, you know, for the greater good and all that, but it still weighs on my mind. I could blame my boss but that wouldn't be right. I'm the one responsible.

I love being a detective. It's what I'm good at. There's just a certain amount of duplicity that goes along with the job; it can't be helped. There are a lot of bad guys in jail because of me. I can feel good about that.

So, I'll probably be back at work within the year and attending some elementary school somewhere. That's just the way it goes.

Well, that's my story.

You know, this is supposed to be a secret, so do me a favor, don't tell anyone, okay?

THE END


End file.
